L'Italo-Americano

C o n n e c t i o n s between sister c i t i e s c a n b e e x p r e s s e d i n different ways – s t u d e n t e x c h a n g e p r o - grams, touring art exhibits, o r i n t h e c a s e o f Spokane and its sister city of Cagli, public sculptures on permanent display. Last fall, Spokane cele- brated its newest sister city relationship with Cagli, a t o w n l o c a t e d i n t h e P r o v i n c e o f P e s a r o a n d Urbino in the Marche dis- trict, with a public unveil- i n g o f t w o s c u l p t u r e s installed in the Sister Cities Connections Garden. The g a r d e n i s p a r t o f S p o k a n e ' s R i v e r f r o n t P a r k , named in 2020 by National Geographic as one of America's most beautiful downtown parks. O n e o f t h e n e w s c u l p - t u r e s , c a l l e d T e a t r o a n d Torrione, is fashioned from C a r r a r a m a r b l e b y C a g l i artist Ettore Gambioli. T h e o t h e r , f o r g e d f r o m steel, features the Kokanee salmon, vital to the liveli- h o o d a n d h i s t o r y o f S p o k a n e a n d t h e I n d i g e - nous peoples of the region. The 3,000-pound Teatro a n d T o r r i o n e s c u l p t u r e depicts two historic struc- tures from Cagli: a medal- lion reminiscent of the ceil- i n g o f C a g l i ' s T e a t r o C o m m u n a l e ( c o m m u n i t y theater) built in 1878, and a n a d j o i n i n g f l a t m a r b l e slab representing Torrione Martiniano, a 15th-century tower, now a visitor site, all that remains of an ancient fortress. C a g l i s c u l p t o r E t t o r e Gambioli was not present a t t h e S p o k a n e u n v e i l i n g but sent electronic greet- ings to those who attended the dedication ceremony. His message of friendship w a s r e a d b y E l i s a b e t t a Valentini, honorary con- sul of Italy. "This sculpture represents the city of Cagli w i t h t w o o f t h e m o s t important symbols," Gam- bioli wrote. "Making this s c u l p t u r e g a v e m e t h e opportunity to pay homage t o t h e c i t y o f C a g l i a n d Spokane." Gambioli and his father Paolo work side-by-side in a studio in Cagli attached to the family home. Over the years, the two have carved m a n y w o r k s t o g e t h e r , i n c l u d i n g c u s t o m s t o n e fireplaces, family crests and medallions. Their art can be seen in the churches and p u b l i c s p a c e s i n a n d around Cagli. The Spokane sculpture, c r e a t e d b y l o c a l a r t i s t s Melissa Cole and Brad M c D o n a l d , d e p i c t s a vibrantly colored Kokanee salmon appearing to leap into the sky. At the sculp- ture's base, bright blue and g r e e n c u r v e d p i e c e s o f metal suggest the waters of the nearby Spokane River, an appropriate image since t h e 1 0 0 - a c r e R i v e r f r o n t Park sits along its shores. Although the sister city r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n S p o k a n e a n d C a g l i w a s made official in 2016, the c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e two cities goes back about 20 years. In 2002, Gonzaga College established a sum- mer study abroad program i n C a g l i l e d b y D r . J o h n Caputo, a Gonzaga commu- n i c a t i o n s p r o f e s s o r , n o w r e t i r e d . T h e c i t y - t o - c i t y f r i e n d s h i p g r e w o v e r t h e years. Eventually, a delegation from Cagli visited Spokane to sign a Pact of Friendship b e t w e e n S p o k a n e M a y o r D a v i d C o n d o n a n d C a g l i Mayor Alberto Alessandri. The official launch of the s i s t e r c i t y r e l a t i o n s h i p c o i n c i d e d w i t h t h e 5 0 t h anniversary of Spokane's American-Italian Club. Cagli is the fourth Italian sister city in Washington state, following in the foot- s t e p s o f S e a t t l e - P e r u g i a , Walla Walla-Canara, and A u b u r n - M o l a d i B a r i . I t joins Spokane's four other sister cities: Nishinomiya, J a p a n ; J i l i n C i t y , C h i n a ; L i m e r i c k , I r e l a n d ; a n d Jecheon, Korea. S i s t e r c i t i e s g e t p a i r e d b e c a u s e t h e y o f t e n h a v e i n d u s t r i e s i n c o m m o n o r s i m i l a r n a t u r a l s e t t i n g s . That's the case with Cagli a n d S p o k a n e . A l t h o u g h Cagli is quite a bit smaller than Spokane — 9,000 peo- ple versus Spokane's popu- l a t i o n o f 2 2 0 , 0 0 0 — t h e Italian town is surrounded by beautiful rivers, lakes and mountains and offers many of the same outdoor a t t r a c t i o n s t h a t m a k e Spokane so popular: hik- ing, fishing, camping and biking. As the third largest city in its region, Cagli boasts a beautiful medieval city cen- t e r . N o t o f t e n v i s i t e d b y tourists, it is all about the people, cuisine, culture and beautiful countryside. " T h e s i s t e r - c i t y i d e a c a m e f r o m t h e p e o p l e o f Cagli," Caputo said. "Over t i m e t h e y h a d d e v e l o p e d this relationship with us, and they were interested in m a k i n g i t a m o r e f o r m a l process. It's a charming city that is historically relevant, providing a more authentic experience for Americans interested in getting off the beaten path. " T w o G o n z a g a s t u d e n t s built their Master's thesis around helping to create a Sister City Agreement, sup- p o r t e d b y t h e A m e r i c a n - Italian Club and the Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy. The agreement was signed in Spokane in Octo- b e r 2 0 1 5 a t a c e r e m o n y with more than 200 sup- porters and members of the Italian-American and Ital- ian communities in atten- dance. Since Spokane and Cagli became sister cities, each town has sponsored a high school exchange program w h e r e 1 0 s t u d e n t s f r o m each region participate in a 17-day visit, staying with host families. The program focuses on cultural immer- sion, encouraging students to learn the language and c u l t u r e o f t h e o p p o s i t e c o u n t r y . S t u d e n t s a t t e n d c l a s s e s t w o h o u r s e v e r y morning and take part in planned activities with the group and their homestay parents in the afternoons a n d o n w e e k e n d s . T h e highly competitive program a c c e p t s s t u d e n t s f r o m S p o k a n e ' s r e g i o n a l h i g h schools who are16 years or o l d e r a n d h a v e o n l y o n e year of high school remain- ing. In remarks made at the unveiling of the Riverside Park installation last year, f o r m e r S p o k a n e M a y o r C o n d o n s u m m e d u p t h e ongoing value of the sister c i t y p r o g r a m : " I n a t i m e w h e r e w e ' r e f o c u s i n g o n diversity, equity and inclu- sion, I think it's paramount that we continue the vision o f b u i l d i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p s truly based on friendship," he said. It appears that Spokane and Cagli are already well on their way. New sculptures in Riverside Park link Spokane and its sister city of Cagli RITA CIPALLA The Gambioli family - father Paolo (left) and son Ettore - work side-by-side in their studio in Cagli (Photo courtesy of Gonzaga in Cagli) SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano

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